Construct Tomorrow does a two-day event at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) for high school students across Northern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin. But the Duluth event is unique on the Construct Tomorrow schedule. Once the kids are done on the first day, in the evening the adults get their chance to sample the same hands-on activities and discuss opportunities the union building trades provide with an additional caveat: there are a dozen contractors manning tables in Fitzgerald Hall ready to hire the right person. 

For the past 10 years Head of the Lakes United Way has taken the lead sponsoring the evening session.  “We do it in order to provide an opportunity for the general public to come in and experience the trades apprenticeship aspect of the event but also the opportunity to talk to signatory contractors and workforce professionals who can help plug them into where their interests might be,” Head of Lakes Community Service Director Corey Cusick explained. 

One of the main reasons Head of Lakes wanted to do it was to do something for the event’s sponsors, namely construction contractors. And the contractors get bang for their sponsorship buck. More than 120 adults come though who are specifically looking for a career change. And they are wanting to make a change now. With the students, the motivation is different; the event looks to plant seeds in students’ heads that will yield later when they are trying to make a career decision.

The rugged aspect of Northern Minnesota weather provides a populace that is prime recruiting ground for the union building trades. “Duluth is the perfect spot to do it… They already understand the work ethic of the trades,” says Moke Eaglefeathers, Apprenticeship Coordinator for Local 633 Cement Masons. 

The questions the adults ask in the evening are different from the ones the students ask during the day. Akeethia Lloyd, a Career Navigator for Local 49 Apprenticeship Department, does every Construct Tomorrow event. She says the questions adults ask are more direct. “Some of the students aren’t sure what to ask so we often start with ‘What grade are you in?’ The adults are more to the point. They want to know if their previous work experience gets them hired in the trade.”

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